bookmaker

noun

book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
1
: a printer, binder, or designer of books
2
: a person who determines odds and receives and pays off bets
bookmaking noun

Examples of bookmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
On October 29, bookmakers Bet365, PaddyPower and Betfair all gave Trump odds of 1/2 (66.7 percent) on achieving victory on November 5. James Bickerton, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Trump is ahead against Vice President Kamala Harris at U.K. bookmaker Beftfair Exchange -175 to +175, his largest lead in the action, which U.S. betting houses cannot participate in, since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. James Powel, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024 Foreman was a three-to-one favorite with the bookmakers and there were genuine fears, not least from Ali’s business manager Gene Kilroy, that the challenger could be seriously hurt or even die in the ring. Jamie Barton, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024 Trump vaulted past Harris to become the bookmaker’s favorite to win next month’s presidential election, following a surge in bets in his favor last week. Chris Dobstaff, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bookmaker 

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bookmaker was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bookmaker

Cite this Entry

“Bookmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookmaker. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bookmaker

noun
book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
: a person who receives and pays off bets

Legal Definition

bookmaker

noun
book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
: a person who determines odds and receives and pays off bets

called also bookie

More from Merriam-Webster on bookmaker

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